1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an automatic film processing fluid container picker assembly and, more particularly, to a picker assembly for automatically retrieving film processing fluid containers from a storage tray for ultimate deposition between a pair of converging positive and negative film sheets prior to film processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Self-developing cameras of a type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,435,718, entitled "Photographic Process and Apparatus for Subjecting a Photographic Film to a Processing Fluid", by E. H. Land, issued Feb. 10, 1948, are now well known in the art. Such early self-developing photographic cameras did not utilize integral self-developing film units as now utilized in Polaroid's SX-70 and 600 model cameras but instead exposed a negative film sheet unwound from a negative film sheet roll. The exposed negative film sheet was thereafter fed into the bite of a pair of pressure-applying processing rollers. At the same time, a positive film sheet unwound from a positive film sheet roll was simultaneously fed into the bite of the processing rollers in superposition with respect to the exposed negative film sheet and a rupturable or frangible container of film processing fluid, consisting substantially of a viscous fluid, was deposited between the negative and positive film sheets at the bite of the processing rollers. The processing rollers thereafter operated to rupture the film processing fluid container and squeeze the processing fluid out of the container so as to spread the processing fluid between the superimposed positive and negative film sheets. The aforementioned Land patent shows the film processing fluid containers stacked in a spring-loaded magazine from which the containers are selectively ejected by means of a reciprocating plunger activated by a suitable mechanism in timed relationship to the rotation of the processing rollers and the activation of the shutter release mechanism. Although self-developing cameras for the most part today comprise integral film units of the aforementioned type wherein the pod of film processing fluid is integrally disposed within the film unit, a number of film processors are still commercially available in which the processing fluid must be manually deposited between the positive and negative film sheets as the film sheets converge upon the film processing rollers.
Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a picker assembly for automatically retrieving a film processing fluid container from a supply tray and thereafter depositing the retrieved container on one of a pair of converging positive and negative film sheets prior to processing.
Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises a mechanism and system possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure.